Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D) announced the following committee changes:

• Senator Ricardo Lara (D) will be the Chair of the Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.
• Senator Anthony Portantino (D) will be Chair of the Committee on Appropriations.
• Senator Richard Pan (D) will be Chair of the Committee on Health.
• Senator Mike McGuire (D) is appointed to the Education Committee as a member to fill a current vacancy.
• Senator Ben Allen (D) remains the Chair of the Committee on Education.

Also in California… Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. (D) announced the appointment of Diana Dooley as Executive Secretary in the Office of Governor. She has served as Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency since 2011. Michael Wilkening was appointed Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, where he has served as Undersecretary since 2008.

Also in California… Assemblymember Kevin McCarty’s (D) opioid rebate bill (AB 2486) was significantly amended and is now an opioid tax. Chain pharmacies would be included in the definition of wholesaler and would be subject to the tax. The language also includes taxing intracompany transfers of opioids, which means intracompany transfers from a pharmacy warehouse to its own pharmacy would be subject to the tax.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Dr. Karen Smith, the Department of Public Health’s Director and State Health Officer, issued a naloxone standing order to counter the effects of opioid overdose. The order allows organizations that cannot prescribe naloxone to distribute it to those who are at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose and to other persons in a position to assist during an opioid-related overdose. The order also authorizes the administration of naloxone to assist a person experiencing or suspected of experiencing an opioid overdose by a family member, friend or other person who has received training from an opioid overdose prevention and treatment training program. Entities can apply for the standing order online.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

To fill a vacancy on the 13-member Board of Pharmacy, Gov. Jerry Brown, Jr. (D) appointed Shirley Kim of Los Angeles as a public member. Kim has been an associate at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP since 2016. She earned her law degree at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

Also in California…New officers were elected at the May 2 Board of Pharmacy meeting. Serving as president is independent pharmacist Victor Law. Public member Greg Lippe is now the vice president and hospital pharmacist Allen Schaad was re-elected to serve as treasurer.

Also in California…NACDS and the California Retailers Association submitted a joint letter to legislators outlining their position on statewide drug and/or sharps take back legislation (SB 212 & AB 444). The associations stated their support for a statewide framework funded by manufacturers. They also affirmed that it is essential that pharmacies’ participation be voluntary with a variety of disposal options that they can offer to meet local convenience thresholds based on the needs of their communities.

Also in California…AB 2741, sponsored by Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (D), passed the Assembly 53-0. If enacted, this legislation would limit doctors from prescribing more than five days’ worth of opioid drugs to minors and includes certain exemptions for situations such as medical emergencies, hospice care and other instances where doctors deem a longer prescription medically necessary. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Lastly in California…On May 9, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services passed a $1 billion healthcare spending proposal on a party-line vote. The $1 billion proposal allocates $330 million to expand coverage in the Medi-Cal program, $50 million to increase healthcare cost transparency, $114 million to expand the healthcare workforce and $500-$550 million to provide healthcare premium assistance.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

In an effort to better explain the new Board of Pharmacy regulation on Inventory Reconciliation Report of Controlled Substances that went into effect on April 1, the Board developed answers to a list of frequently asked questions. A summary on the regulation and FAQs may be viewed on the board’s website.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

On April 11, the Assembly Business and Professions Committee held a hearing on AB 2789, Assemblymember Jim Wood’s (D) mandatory e-prescribing bill sponsored by the Board of Pharmacy. NACDS and the California Retailers Association submitted a joint support letter.

Also in California…The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is hosting a Medi-Cal Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, May 17 in Sacramento. Director Jennifer Kent will provide updates on federal and state developments, including health care policy issues affecting DHCS and Section 1115 waiver implementation efforts. To view meeting information, materials, or historical documents, please visit the DHCS website.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

NACDS and the California Retailers Association are seeking clarification from the Board of Pharmacy on inventory reconciliation reporting requirements scheduled to be implemented on Sunday, April 1.

Also in California…EZIZ is the e-learning and resource website for California’s VFC (Vaccines for Children) Program. It offers an online toolkit with information and resources for pharmacists providing immunization services. The website is operated by the California Department of Public Health and includes a Pharmacy Resources webpage. The link is also on the Vaccinations webpage at the Board of Pharmacy website.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

The Board of Pharmacy announced its final regulations for pharmacists to furnish, without a prescription, naloxone, an antidote to reverse opioid overdose, became effective January 27, 2016. The San Francisco Department of Health has published a tri-fold brochuretitled “Opioid safety and how to use naloxone—A Guide for Patients and Caregivers”.

Also in California…On Friday, March 2, the Board of Pharmacy is offering pharmacists one hour of free continuing education credit on law and ethics by attending a live recording of a presentation on law and ethics at the California Department of Consumer Affairs—Building Two, 1747 N. Market Blvd., Room 186, in Sacramento.

Also in California…Reminder: Wednesday, February 28 is the deadline to file an attestation claim for the higher professional dispensing fee in the Medi-Cal fee-for-service program. The attestation period for both the 2016 and 2017 calendar years is open until February 28, 2018. Separate attestations must be submitted for each calendar year. The web portal will close at 12 a.m. on Thursday, March 1, 2018, and attestations will not be accepted after that time. The attestation for each calendar year reporting period will determine the professional dispensing fee component of the pharmacy claim reimbursement for claims with dates of service within the State’s following fiscal year. As an example, a 2017 calendar year claim volume attestation will determine the professional dispensing fee for claims within the State’s 2018—2019 fiscal year (dates of service of Sunday, July 1, 2018, through Sunday, June 30, 2019). For additional information, providers may refer to this background information regarding migration to cost-based reimbursement plus a professional dispensing fee or can refer to the Pharmacy Provider Self-Attestation FAQs or the Pharmacy Reimbursement Project webpage on the Department of Health Care Services website.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.

Pharmacy laws passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) that took effect January 1, 2018, are available on the Board of Pharmacy’s website in Pharmacy Law Changes for 2018 under the “Popular Pages” heading. The online Law Book under “Popular Pages” also has been updated with new laws for 2018.

Also in California…A new pharmacy provider Self-Attestation Claim Volume Process for Medi-Cal fee-for-service started in mid-January and will continue through the end of February. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is implementing a new fee-for-service reimbursement methodology for covered outpatient drugs. Part of this new methodology is a two-tiered professional dispensing fee based on a pharmacy provider’s total (Medi-Cal and non-Medi-Cal) annual pharmacy claim volume ($13.20 if less than 90,000 claims per year; $10.05 if 90,000 or more). Reporting the claim volume is a self-attestation process, which will be submitted electronically. Pharmacy providers seeking the higher of two professional dispensing fees as part of the forthcoming reimbursement changes for covered outpatient drugs should either refer to the Pharmacy Provider Self-Attestation FAQs or call the Telephone Service Center at 1-800-541-5555.

The Board of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are hosting an educational forum on Saturday, January 27 in San Francisco to train pharmacists on drug diversion trends, pharmacy burglaries, prescription drug abuse and overdose prevention. Pharmacists will receive six hours of continuing education credit for attending the day-long event, plus an additional hour can be earned at the end of the day to meet the requirements of the pharmacist protocol to provide naloxone. Space is limited, and preregistration is strongly encouraged. To register, email your full name and license number to registration@dca.ca.gov.

Also in California…The Board of Pharmacy has added an additional Public Board Meeting on Thursday, January 11 and published a Notice of Meeting Agenda.

Also in California…In a letter sent in December, NACDS, in partnership with the California Retailers Association and the California Pharmacists Association, continues to press the Department of Health Care Services to implement Assembly Bill 1114 (2016, Eggman) to pay pharmacists for providing certain healthcare services.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.